When George Singelmann filed his $50,000 libel suit against
Glenn Clasen and James Arthus, his lawyer in this action was
identified as Lawrence Hennessey, Jr. (NOTP; February 28, 1962;
s1, p9) Interestingly, Hennessey had earlier defended Guy
Banister in a criminal defamation case filed in 1958. At the
time, Banister was the publisher of a weekly paper, The West
Bank Herald, based in Gretna. The charge was filed by oilman
Louis J. Roussel, who claimed he was defamed by a garbled
account of an SEC action against a firm selling stock in
Roussel's Universal Drilling Company. Roussel's partner was
Louisiana State Supreme Court Supreme Justice, John
B. Fournet. (NOTP; December 17, 1958; p36)

Banister, represented by Hennessey, applied to the federal
courts for relief. The case was made that Banister's rights
were threatened because local prejudice made the outcome of a
trial in Gretna a foregone conclusion. The charge was made that
Jefferson Parish Judge John C. Boutall was "a member of the
political faction which ... received heavy financial
contributions from Louis J. Rousell." Herald publisher Banister
had published articles "exposing various political figures
allied" with this faction. (NOTP; March 5, 1959; p4; March 21;,
1959; p16) The state was represented by special attorneys Clem
Sehrt and Edward Boyle, who actually represented Roussel. Judge
Skelly Wright ruled against Banister and remanded the case to
the local courts. (NOTP; May 14, 1959; s1, p28)

The case came to trial in March of 1960 in the court of
Judge L. Julian Samuel. Hennessey was still Banister's
lawyer. Despite earlier predictions, Banister was acquitted
because he had been out of town when the article, which the
court indeed found libelous, was published. (NOTP; February 25,
1960; s4, p9; March 29, 1960; s1, p17)

N.W. Ayer and Sons' Directory of Newspapers and Periodicals
lists a R. M. Stewart as publisher and editor of the West Bank
Herald, 535 Lafayette Street, Gretna for the years 1957 through
1959. In 1960, Dr. Frederick D. Beck is the publisher and
T. A. Fox, Jr. is the editor. In 1961, there is no listing.

Hennessey participated in the defense of another publisher,
William L. Donnels of "The Federationist", charged with
criminal libel. The complainant in this case was New Orleans
Mayor Chep Morrison. Donnels charged that Morrison "associated
with Communists and fellow travelers", in part, because
Morrison's secretary, Rosalie Brener Grad, had been a member of
the Southern Conference on Human Welfare. (The successor to
this group was the Southern Conference Educational Fund.) Other
members of the defense team were Rudolph Becker, Guy Johnson
and William Morgan. "James C. Garrison" was a special counsel
for the prosecution. (At this stage Garrison was part of the
Morrison political machine.) (NOTP; January 8, 1960; s1, p22)

Banister, Singelmann, Donnels. It is not always fair to
judge a lawyer by his clients. However, in this case, Hennessey
made his own statement as president of the subtly named White
Educational Association. In an announcement for an August 1960
meeting, it was promised that Hennessey would "discuss possible
action to be taken to keep the New Orleans Public Schools open
and segregated." (NOTP; August 10, 1960; s1, p9) A few days
later, the White Educational Association sponsored a meeting
which featured GNOCC chairman, Emmett Lee Irwin, as a
speaker. (NOTP; August 25, 1960; s1, p26)